Teo Boon Ching, a/k/a ‘Zhang,’ a/k/a ‘Dato Sri,’ a/k/a ‘Godfather,’ was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiring to traffic hundreds of kilograms of rhinoceros horns worth millions of dollars that involved the illegal poaching of numerous rhinoceros, an endangered wildlife species.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: ‘Wildlife trafficking is a serious threat to the natural resources and the ecological heritage shared by communities across the globe, enriching poachers responsible for the senseless illegal slaughter of numerous endangered rhinoceros and furthering the market for these illicit products.
According to the charging and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made in court proceedings, Teo Boon Ching was a member of a transnational criminal conspiracy engaged in the large-scale international trafficking and smuggling of rhinoceros horns to sell to foreign buyers, including buyers represented to be in Manhattan.
During the course of the conspiracy and related conduct, Teo Boon Ching conspired to transport, distribute, sell, and smuggle at least approximately 219 kilograms of rhinoceros horns resulting from the poaching of numerous rhinoceros and having an estimated value of at least approximately $2.1 million.
On a number of occasions, Teo Boon Ching met with a confidential source to negotiate the sale of rhinoceros horns. In August 2019, the confidential source, at the direction of law enforcement, purchased 12 rhinoceros horns from Teo Boon Ching with money that Teo Boon Ching believed were the proceeds of other illegal wildlife trafficking and was in bank accounts in New York.
Teo Boon Ching was arrested in Thailand on June 29, 2022, at the request of the United States pursuant to a bilateral extradition treaty and was extradited to the United States on October 7, 2022.
The sentence was imposed earlier today by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
Defendant: Teo Boon Ching (a/k/a ‘Zhang,’ a/k/a ‘Dato Sri,’ a/k/a ‘Godfather’)
Criminal Charges: Conspiring to traffic hundreds of kilograms of rhinoceros horns worth millions of dollars
City and State: New York
Exact Date: The sentence was imposed earlier today by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty
Sentence: 18 months in prison
Estimated Value: At least approximately $2.1 million
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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